Switch



Feb. 18, 1930. J. 5. KINNEY 1,747,444

SWITCH Filed July 5. 1922 WITNESSES: INVENTOR J. Si'anIey Kinney.

w am X' W Patented Feb. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PVATENT orrlcE J'.STANLEY KINNEY, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOE, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO ECLIPSE MACHINE COMPANY, OF ELMIRA. HEIGHTS, NEW YORK,

A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK SWITCH Application filed July 5, 1922. SerialNo. 572,788.

My invention relates to switches and particularly to such switches asare employed in connection with the ignition and lighting circuits ofmotor vehicles.

My invention has for its object to provide contact members that are soarranged and constructed as to operate easily and without undue wear.

The contact drums of the usual ignition and lighting switches areprovided with peripheral notches with which the stationary contactmembers coact to accentuate the several positions of the contact drums.When the surfaces are composed of the ordinary molded material, there isconsiderable fric tion between such surfaces and the contact fingers.Such switches are accordingly more or less diflicult to operate andthere is considerable wear of the surfaces of the contact drums.

According to the present invention, the body portion of the contactdrums of ignition and lighting switches are compose of molded insulatingmaterial and graphite. The graphite is not in such quantity as to renderthe body portion of the drum conducting at the low voltage usuallyemployed in such systems but is present in such quantit as to render thesurface of the drum sel lubricating. Switches embodyingdrums of thecharacter above described operate with the application of little forceand without the wear that is incident to the operation of switches asheretofore constructed.

In the single sheet of the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a front planview of. a switch embodying my invention;

' Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section along the line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front plan view of theswitch of Fig. 1 with the casingremoved;

Fig. 4 is a plan'view of one of the contact d ums; v I I Fig. 5 is aside View of the drum ofFig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view in transverse section taken. on the line VI-VI ofFig.4.

A unitary ignition and lighting switch 1 comprises a base member 2, acylindrical cas ing member 3 and a front cover plate 4. The ignitionswitch comprises a rotatable condrum 14 having an operating handle 15.

Contact fingers 16, 17, 18 and 19 coact with notches 20 in the peripheryof the drum 14 to accentuate the positions of the drum and to controlthe lighting circuits of the vehicle.

Reference may now be had to Figs. 4, 5 and 6 in which the details of thecontact drum 5 are illustrated. The body portion 22 of the drum iscomposed of a mixture of molded insulating material and graphite. Thecontact drum 5 comprises also a metal conducting portion 23 whichconstitutes art of the peripheral surface of the contact rum.

The conducting member 23 comprises two main portions 24 and 25 thatcoact with the contact fingers to control the several ignition circuitsand which are connected by thin strips 26 extending across one face ofthe drum. The corresponding member of the drum 14 differs therefrom inthe extent and angular spacing of the conducting surfaces by reason ofthe differences in the circuits to be controlled. The conductingportions are not connected since they control separate circuits.

I The contact drums are constructed by first placing in a suitable moldthe metallic conducting portion and then filling the mold with a mixtureof insulating material and graphite. The mass is then hardened by heatand fingers pass over the surface portions of the drums withsubstantially no resistance by reason of the presence of graphite in theinsulating material. The drums may accordingly .be adjusted without theapplication of undue force and they are unusually durable because of theabsence of wear.

I claim as my invention:

1. A switch comprisin a contact member having a body portion 0 moldedinsulating material and graphite.

2. A- switch comprising a contact member having a body portion of moldedinsulating material having a lubricant distributed therethrough.-

3; A switch comprising a contact drum having a body portion of moldedinsulating material impregnated with graphite.

4. A switch comprising a contact drum having surface portionsrespectively of conductin material and of a molded mixture ofinslilating material and a lubricant.

5. A switch comprising a contact drum having surface portionsrespectively of conducting materialand of a molded mixture of insulatingmaterial and a lubricant, said surface portions having recesses thereinand contact members coacting therewith.

6. A switch comprising a contact drum having a body portion of a moldedmixture of insulating material and graphite and a contact portion ofconducting material in the periphery of said drum.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 23rd dayof June, 1922.

" J. STANLEY KINNEY.

